Teens are using social media to make political impacts

Tiktok has become a leading source of entertainment for teens, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. It’s an escape where watchers can share their opinions on all topics, make funny content, and participate in the trend. As stated previously, the app is mainly used for entertainment purposes, although with the whirlwind of the year 2020 has been many users have been exposed to a new side; political Tik Tok.

Generation Z has grown up during 9/11, the stock market crash of 2008, the first-ever African American president, a global pandemic, protests, and riots against racism and police brutality, a very controversial election resulting in the first minority and woman vice president, all while having technology at their fingertips. Growing up, when the world around them was continually changing, and historical events were frequently happening, it is no surprise that this generation is dedicated to making their voices heard.

Amongst a global pandemic local teen, Nurayn Khan, a junior at BHS, uses Instagram and TikTok platforms to be a part of the change.

“I feel like teens before the age of social media felt like they couldn’t make a change because of their age. Now with Social media, there are so many resources and people eager to help others educate themselves and people wanting to educate themselves on prominent topics.” Khan said.

At such a young age, teens now more than over, have made it their duty to become online activists and spread awareness on topics relating to political issues both nationwide and global. Social Media is a part of everyday life for many teens, and using it as a platform to provide information for others gives it a purpose beyond the “norm”.

“Like on I had this one TikTok blow-up, and I was talking about normalized racism on the app, and I got many hate comments for it, but there were also so many people who were supporting me and felt the same way as well as people who reached out to me because they wanted to educate themselves or they lived in a household where there parents beliefs were forced onto them, but they were not sure if they supported it. That feeling was so awesome.” Khan said.

Controversial conversations, more often than not, cause people to fight because of their different beliefs. Teens like Nurayn have been able to use TikTok as an outlet to express their opinions and learn about ways to help make a difference. Activism and Social Media work alongside each other in spreading awareness. Social Media platforms allow individuals to share links to petitions, donation websites, and factual information to help each other grow. With that being said, Activism is stereotyped as just protesting, has revolutionized and demolished this connotation, especially during COVID-19.

Generation Z grew up alongside Social Media, and now they have revolutionized it as a way of making sure their voices are being heard.